A conventional gas spring operates in a similar manner to a helical spring, i.e it produces a spring resistance equivalent to the compression from the moment at which it is affected by a force.
In many applications this force is represented by a moving part of a machine, the movement of which requires to be contained and damped. Because of metal components which strike one another with full force, this gives rise to disturbing mechanical noise and din, which cannot be accepted under current working environment legislation. Attempts have been made to dampen the contact between the moving part of the machine and the gas spring with the help of helical springs or damping elements made of an elastic material. These attempts were not particularly successful, since helical springs do not give the desired effect, and the stresses on such damping elements are considerable and the service life of the elements is accordingly very limited. Both the purchase and replacement of damping elements also involve truly daunting costs.